Game-board.



T. M. MILLER.

GAME BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEG, 1912.

1 043 95 Patented Nov. 12,1912.

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T. M. MILLER.

GAME BOARD.

-APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 6, 1912.

1,043,956. Patented Nov. 12, 1912.

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IlhlIT THOMAS MILO MILLER, 0F SIDNEY, OI-IIO.

GAME-BOARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, 1912,

Application filed June 6, 1912. Serial No. 702,080.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs MILo MILLER, a citizen of the United States residing at Sidney, in the county of Shelby and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game-Boards; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to games and toys, and more especially to game apparatus which include surface projectiles; and the object of the same is to produce a game board having pockets in its surface into which the player makes an effort to lodge balls projected by hand or otherwise, a baffle or cushion being interposed between him and the object (which is a pocket scoring the highest) and the configuration of the margin of the board being such that much skill in shooting is required in order to get the ball past the obstruction or cushion and into the desired pocket.

This object is carried out by constructing the game board in the manner described below, and in the preferred form of my invention I make the obstruction or cushion hollow with inlet openings in its side wall and pockets inside of it inscribed with high scores in case the player can cause the ball to fall into them. Details will be found in the following specification and claims, and are shown in the drawings wherein Figure l is a plan view of the preferredform of my invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the upper end of the device shown in Fig. 1, the cushion member thereof being in horizontal section to show its interior; Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4L-4 of Fig. 8, with the top of the cushion in place; Fig. 5 is a plan view of a simpler form of this device.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the fiat bottom of this board which in practice is some six feet long and about fifteen inches wide, and the numerals 2 designate wings or lateral offsets thereof which may have an area each of about six by twelve inches, the wings being so disposed that the entire board in plan view has the appearance of a cross as seen on the drawings.

The numeral 3 designates a raised margin or flange surrounding the board and its wings, and by preference somewhat higher toward the outer or object end of the board than toward the inner end where the player stands.

In Fig. 1 I have illustrated two or three balls lying on the board, these being by preference of rubber and about seveneighths of an inch in diameter; and they are to be shot by hand or with a one or other suitable device. The balls are numbered 4, and the one is not illustrated.

In any form of my invention a raised obstruction or cushion is disposed at the center of the cross-shaped figures, so that in addition to the two lateral wings 2, 2 the upper end of the body itself might be said to constitute a third wing whereas the lower or forward end of the body is the alley along which the shooting is done. On the understanding that there are three wings, the face of each is inscribed with an acute angle with the apex directed toward the center, and the outer end of the wing forms the base thereof so to produce a triangle; and within said triangle a number of pockets 6 are cut in the face of the board and the wing thereof, the disposition of these pockets being in rows across a line radiating away from said center and with increasing numbers of pockets in the rows outward away from said center so that the general form of each.

group or bank of pockets is triangular as shown. Especial attention is directed to the fact that one special pocket 7 at the center of the group is more closely surrounded by others than any other pocket therein so that access thereto is more diftlcult because of the increased chances that the ball will fall into other pockets than the one desired while on its way to the latter. These various pockets are marked with scores, and obviously the score for this more difficult pocket 7 is greater than that of the others, and also the score of said pockets as are easy to reach is less than those of the pockets which are somewhat harder.

The above description relates to either form of my invention illustrated in the drawings, and the game board is completed by disposing an obstruction or cushion at the center of the cross-shaped figure, so that the player can reach the pockets in a side wing only by a cushion shot against and out from said cushion, and can reach the pockets in the uppermost wing only by driving the 7 Figs. 1 and 3, said cushion 12 is made circu- I lar with an opening 13 through its top and by means of which its interior is exposed to view; and the slde wall of this cushion 1s pierced wlth openings or inlets 14: on a level with the surface of the board and at various points around said wall except at its front, through which the balls may be projected if the operator has skill enough to cushion them off of the flanges 8 and direct them laterally toward said wall instead of shooting directly at the front wall of the cushion or obstruction. WVithin the latter are formed a series of pockets 15 whose score is quite high, and by preference higher than any pockets outside of this obstruction.

With this improved game board in its simpler form, the operator simply projects the balls along the alley portion thereof against one of the oblique walls of the diamond-shaped cushion 10, with the object of causing it to reach a pocket in one of the three groups of holes. WVith the construction shown in Fig. 1, if the player has sufficient skill his object may be to project the ball against one of the sides 3 and cause it to rebound from the same obliquely toward and through one of the inlet open-' ings in the wall of the circular obstruction 12 so as to reach one of the pockets within the latter, because they count so high. If he has not sufiicient skill to do this, he may project the ball directly against the front or side wall of the obstruction, and seek to lodge it in one of the pockets in the wings as in the other form of the game board. The central pocket 7 located at about the center of a triangular group and closely surrounded by others, is more difiicult to reach because there are more chances for a ball approaching that pocket to fall into some other as is. obvious, and that is the reason why this central pocket is given a higher score; In playing the game the board is obviously laid upon an ordinary table or other support and quite level.

Vhile I have given the proportions of parts, and indicated some score figures in thedrawing, much latitude will be left the Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner Washington, D. 6.

manufacturer with respect of these details. Also I do not refer to the details and finish of parts in this specification, because those details are not necessary.

hat is claimed as new is 1. The herein described game board provided in its upper surface with a group of pockets which are all of a size to receive a ball projected along said surface and are inscribed to designate different scores, one special pocket near the center of the group being more closely surrounded by other pockets than any other in the group and inscribed with the highest score.

2. The herein described game board comprising a straight body having an uninterrupted surfaces at one end and laterally projected wings near its other end, the surface of this end and bothwings being provided with groups of pockets all of a size to receive a ball projected along the uninterrupted surface of the body, an obstructing cushion rising from said surface at a point between said wings and between the ends of said body, and a raised periphery surrounding the body and the wings.

3. The herein described game board comprising a straight body having an uninterrupted surface at one end and laterally proj ected wings near its other end, the surface of this end and both wings being provided with groups of pockets all of a size to receive a ball projected along the uninterrupted surface of the body, and a raised circular obstructing cushion upon the body between its ends and between said wings and having inlet openings through its upright wall excepting at that side of the frame which is toward the uninterrupted surface of the body. 7

4:. The herein described game board comprising a straight body having an uninterrupted surface at one end and. laterally projected wings near its other end, the surface of this end and both wings being provided with groups of pockets all of a size to receive a ball projected along the uninterrupted surface of the body, and a hollow obstructing cushion rising from said surface between the ends of the board and between said wings and having inlet openings through its upright wall, the surface of the board within said obstruction being also provided with pockets.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS MILO MILLER.

Witnesses:

HARRY G. DYE, JOHN OLDHAM.

of Patents, 

